From alone in a jail cell nine years ago, Andrew Collins made this promise to the Lord: “I promise I will never turn down an opportunity to speak of your greatness.”
Andrew, a former narcotics police officer from southwest Michigan, was serving time in Florida after being accused and convicted of a federal crime. It started, as Andrew explains it, early on in his career by doing a lot of small things which eventually led to much bigger things. Andrew wrote up fake stories and planted evidence in order to make arrests. His main goal was to be the top cop in the state and he was willing to do anything to get there.
“It felt so good to make a big drug bust. And I got a lot of attention from it,” he tells.
In 2008, Andrew was caught with drugs in his very own police office. He was busted. The crooked cop who’s dishonesty resulted in upwards of 60 individuals falsely arrested and sent to prison was now convicted and behind bars himself. Little did he know how his life would never, ever be the same again.
Miles away, Jameel McGee was serving a sentence for drug possession. Jameel was one of the convictions that Andrew made up back in 2006. Jameel had been framed and imprisoned for a crime he never committed.
In the midst of Jameel’s own anger due to the injustice, he had an encounter with the Lord in prison. One night Jameel found a Bible and heard a voice in his head telling him to “let it all go.” He did. And a week later he found himself released from prison, seven years prior to his original release date.
Jameel was released when Andrew came clean to the authorities about making up the entire story. Andrew’s confession also overturned 50+ other cases.
While serving his own prison sentence, the Holy Spirit worked in Andrew’s heart. Andrew turned from his crooked, evil ways and sought the Lord with a repentant heart. “I was a messed up human being,” he retells. “I was addicted to myself and my ego.”
Andrew realized what he had done had ruined the lives of so many people and their families. With a renewed heart, Andrew set out to make things right with the people he hurt in his community. But no one, including Andrew, could have guessed exactly how this would play out.
One day in 2011, after the two men had both had been released, Andrew and Jameel’s lives collided once again, however, this encounter was completely unplanned. They noticed each other right away and at first Andrew wasn’t sure things were going to end well. He tells it this way in the prologue of his book:
“The crowd parted like the Red Sea. At first I could not see what was happening or why the hundreds gathered in Benton Harbor’s Broadway Park for our church’s Hoops, Hotdogs, and Hip-Hop Festival moved aside so quickly. But then I saw him. I recognized his face but I had trouble putting a name to it. Whoever he was, he was angry, angry enough that the crowd instinctively cleared a path for him. And he was heading straight toward me….
The man walked straight up to me, stopped, and stuck out his hand. I took it. “Remember me?” he asked in a tone that sounded more like a threat than a question.
Somehow a name came to me. “Jameel McGee,” I replied. His grip on my hand tightened when I said his name. I tugged back a little, which only made him grip down that much harder, to the point of pain. I half expected to hear my bones crunch…
My mind raced. I had to do something to diffuse the growing tension, so I did what I had planned to do in exactly this situation: I apologized. “Jameel, man, I am so sorry for what I did to you. I, er, I was an addict back then, not to drugs, but to my own ego and making a name for myself. That caused me to do a lot of stuff I’m ashamed of now. I was a real mess-up person back then, and unfortunately, people like you paid the price for that. I am so sorry.”…
“When I finished my little speech, Jameel huffed a couple of time and sort of shook his head. He bit his lip and looked over toward the little boy, then back at me. Finally, without loosening his grip on my hand even a little bit, he nodded over toward the boy and said, “I need you to tell him why his daddy missed out on three years of his life.”
Jameel was brimming with anger towards the cop that destroyed his life. A voice in his head was telling him to just let Andrew have it, but another, stronger voice—the same voice he heard in his prison cell—urged him again to Let. It. Go. Jameel tells it this way in the book:
“Then I let go of his hand. The moment I did, I was free. The anger evaporated. God took it away just like that. I turned around and walked away, feeling lighter. This was my chance for revenge, but I let it go. I gave my thirst for revenge over to God, along with my anger and hate. And he set me free. I thought I had surrendered everything to God in my cell in Milan, and honestly, I had. But I had to have this moment with Collins in the park to be truly free.”
Just when you think their story can’t get any more complicated, another unexpected layer of the story is uncovered. Years after that intense encounter in the park, God orchestrated their paths to cross yet again.
Andrew was working with Cafe Mosaic and Jobs for Life, a Benton Harbor job readiness training program through Mosaic CCDA. Jameel was there too, trying to get his life back in order when the two men were told they had been paired up as mentor/mentee. After the initial shock and awkwardness wore off, the two realized God had placed them in this relationship for a reason.
And so began the journey of healing, reconciliation, and unlikely friendship. They share this near the end of their book:
“There’s a lot of history between us,” I cautioned. “Do you really think we can move beyond it all and go forward?”
“Yeah, we gotta be able to do that. And if we can move forward, then maybe we can teach other people how to do the same,” he said.
There is so much more to this incredible story. We encourage you to read the book they co-authored (find out where it’s available below) or hear them speak in person as they share their broken but beautiful story. In light of today’s current headlines, their story has something to teach us all about letting go of fear and revenge in pursuit of a greater love and reconciliation.
Where you can hear more of Andrew and Jameel’s Story:
- BUY THE BOOK Jameel and Andrew co-authored a book titled Convicted: A Crooked Cop, an Innocent Man and an Unlikely Journey of Forgiveness and Friendship.
- HEAR THEM LIVE Andrew and Jameel will be sharing their story on March 11th at St. Joseph High School Auditorium. Tickets for sale at swm.younglife.org. Their book will also be available at the event.
- LISTEN/READ MORE The Today Show, I am Second, CBS On the Road, WZZM
Andrew Collins (pictured here with his family) lives in Benton Harbor, working as Staff Associate with Southwest Michigan Young Life.
Jameel McGee lives in Benton Harbor, working with the homeless and helping them find housing.
“It truly is a compelling story about forgiveness and redemption; the kind we rarely see [today]. We are so lucky to have Andrew working with kids in our area and I can’t wait to how God is going to continue to use him and his story to impact kids (and adults!) across Southwest Michigan!”
—Paul Knapp, Area Director, Southwest Michigan Young Life
